Saturday, March 16, 2013

Author Interview: Brian McKinley

I read a lot; I
also watch Game of Thrones, Dexter, Boardwalk Empire, Walking Dead, Being
Human, and True Blood. I spend way too much time on Facebook!

If you had to choose an all-time favorite book, what
would it be?

Red Dragon by Thomas Harris.

What inspired you to start writing?

I’ve been
writing ever since I was old enough to put words together. I think I’ve always
had a desire to tell stories for others to enjoy. I used to write little
stories to show my grandparents, then later I would show friends and join
school newspapers to publish my stories there. I’ve never really had a doubt
about what I wanted to do.

What is your favorite genre to write?

My favorite
genre now is paranormal, but I stared off writing sci-fi, so there’s always
that lurking in the back of my head.

Do you have a set writing schedule, or do you do it
when the fancy strikes.

Unfortunately, I
don’t write as often as I should. I try to set a schedule, but then I’ll miss a
day or two and shoot the whole thing down. Sometimes, I can force myself to
work and actually get stuff done, but mostly I’d say it’s when the fancy
strikes.

Do you outline or write as you go (describe your
writing process)?

Yes, I’m a
compulsive outliner. I feel that I’m better with characters, description, and
dialogue than with plot, so I will outline a project as thoroughly as possible
in order to satisfy myself that the plot and pacing are as strong as I can make
them. If I try to pants it, I just sit and stare at the screen because I’m too
scared to write anything. I need a roadmap before I feel ready to start. Once I
begin, however, I have no problem deviating from the outline because I always
know where I’m trying to get back to.

What inspires you?

I’d say that all
kinds of things inspire me, but the main things are history and other people’s
stories. Reading other authors’ work and watching TV and movies makes me want
to create my own stories. I sometimes imagine paths that a show or movie didn’t
take and sometimes that will inspire me to create a similar situation in my own
work. As for history, I love learning about how events happened and odd little
trivia, so sometimes a character (or a scene) will generate because I want to
use something I learned about a specific time period (vampires are great
vehicles for bringing history to life).

Are the people in your life supportive of your
writing?

Some are, but
mostly the writers I meet and exchange critiques with. Sadly, my family aren’t
big readers, so while they wish me luck, they don’t really get how important
writing is to me.

Is music a part of your writing process?

Yes! I always
try to listen to music while I write if I can and often have different
playlists for different stories or characters.

I just finished
a novel set in the same universe as ANCIENT BLOOD about a gangster in the 1930s
who becomes a vampire and sets out to take over New York. It’s quite a ride! My next
project, that I’m outlining now, is about a pack of Native American werewolves
who hunt the vampires of The Order.

Where can our
readers find more about you? [Add bios, links, anything else you’d like to.]

Mind control
like Professor X. That would be the ultimate ability because there’s almost
nothing you couldn’t get done if you can literally change people’s minds. Fix
the government, become rich, solve world hunger, and open people’s minds socially—it’s
all possible!

Is the glass half-empty or half-full?

Technically, the
glass is always half-full because the other half is air.

If money were no option, where would you live?

Not sure. I’d
probably have multiple houses in different places.

What did you want to be when you grew up?

A writer or a
movie star.

What is your all-time favorite movie?

That’s
hard to say because I love movies, different movies for different reasons. I’ll
give a few categorical answers. Vampire movie: Interview with the Vampire, thriller: Silence of the Lambs, comedy: Young
Frankenstein, superhero/comic book: The
Dark Knight, drama: Goodfellas,
fantasy: The Princess Bride.

If you could have a dinner party with five people
[living or dead], who would you choose and why?

Stephen King,
Joss Whedon, Christopher Walken, Sir Anthony Hopkins, and Brent Spiner. Just
because they’re all heroes of mine and people I would love to meet.